The City of Ottawa has converted unused office space in a downtown building into transitional housing for 140 asylum seekers — just blocks from Parliament Hill.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says it’s the first time the city has converted empty office space into temporary housing and something cities across Canada are pursuing as they grapple with a countrywide housing crisis.

“Turning a vacant office building into transitional housing is exactly the kind of creative solution that we need right now,” he said. “We are facing a real crisis in our city, a housing and homelessness crisis, and this shows one more step toward making progress in tackling that.”

The project uses modular walls to set up separate rooms — each with a bed, a storage locker and a chair — along with shared kitchens, meeting rooms and office spaces.